In a principal aspect, the present invention relates to a tool for removal or pulling of a harmonic damper pulley of Chrysler engineered vehicles from the shaft on which the pulley is mounted.
Chrysler engineered vehicles dating back to the year 1990 were engineered to include a harmonic damper associated with the vehicle engine. The harmonic damper is associated with a pulley or wheel mounted on a shaft in the engine compartment. In order to repair mechanisms associated with the harmonic damper it is appropriate and often necessary to remove the pulley or wheel from its mounting shaft. However, because of the design of the engine and the size of the engine compartment, the harmonic damper pulley is often difficult to access and remove. Thus, there has developed a need to provide a tool which would facilitate the removal of such a pulley. Such a tool will also have similar capability for pulley removal from a shaft in general inasmuch as most pulleys are similarly mounted on a shaft associated with the pulley. Thus, the described tool will have more universal application than just utility with respect to Chrysler engineered vehicles.
Heretofore, there have been tools designed for the removal of the harmonic damper pulley. One such tool is manufactured and sold by Schley Products, Inc., their product No. 97400A. The Schley Products tool incorporates a hub member with three articulated hook legs attached thereto. The legs fit over the internal hub of the pulley and a center axial drive rod may then be actuated to effectively pull the pulley from a shaft. Such a tool has been highly useful for the specific purpose described. However, with the development of new engines and new designs, the tool referenced tends to slip from the pulley hub thus disabling the utility of the tool. That is, the jaws of the tool, which are designed to engage the hub of the pulley, become disengaged thereby rendering the tool ineffective. Thus, there has developed a need to provide an improved pulley pulling tool or pulley removal tool.
Briefly, the present invention comprises a tool for removing a pulley of the type having a center hub with multiple radial spaced spokes connected from the hub and extending outwardly therefrom to a rim. The tool comprises a central hub member which has an axial threaded throughbore for receipt of a drive bolt or drive rod. A plurality of radial, equally spaced arms are pivotally attached to the center hub. The arms include jaw members which are designed to fit through the spokes of the pulley and engage the pulley hub. The device further includes a series of wedge members which are mounted on the outside face of the jaw members or jaw member arms and are adjustable so as to enable positioning thereof in a manner which will wedge the jaw members tightly in position between the pulley rim and hub to ensure that the jaw members will not be released from the center portion or hub of the pulley. Thus, actuation of the drive bolt against the center shaft on which the pulley is mounted will ensure removal of the pulley from its shaft.
Consequently, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved tool for removal of a pulley from a shaft wherein the pulley is of the type having a series of spokes emanating from a center hub and connected to a rim.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a tool for removal of a pulley from a hub wherein the tool comprises a center hub member with articulated jaw arms attached thereto and which further includes a series of magnetically attached wedge members for adjustment of the thickness of the arms whereby the arms may be inserted and wedged in the area or space between the center hub of the pulley and the outer rim thereof.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a tool for removal of pulleys from a shaft wherein the tool may be utilized for removal of pulleys associated with many different types of equipment and machinery and wherein pulleys are of the type having a center hub, radial spokes and outer rim defining a space between a center hub and the rim.
Another object of the invention is to provide a pulley removal tool which is rugged, inexpensive, efficient and easy to use.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.